Drawer-type storage cabinets, commonly referred to as vertical files or lateral files, are conventionally utilized in offices and the like for storage of papers and other documents. The storage cabinet known as a lateral file is commonly and frequently utilized since the dimensional relationship of such file contributes to its being more user friendly. More specifically, such lateral file has the length of the file drawer extending generally parallel with the open side of the housing, whereby the housing has an overall depth which is generally significantly less than the length thereof. This enables the individual drawers to be more readily accessible throughout the full length thereof, and at the same time the drawers when extended outwardly into an open position are cantilevered outwardly through a lesser extent than is experienced when opening the drawer of a conventional vertical file.
More specifically the lateral file, as a result of its geometric arrangement, has an upright hollow housing defined generally by parallel upright side walls which are rigidly joined together by top and bottom walls, and which are typically joined by a back wall, the latter frequently being a thin metal sheet. The front side of the upright hollow housing is defined by a large access opening which occupies substantially the entirety of the front side, whereby a plurality of horizontally movable drawer units are supported in vertically superimposed relationship within the interior of the housing whereby the drawer fronts are positioned vertically one above the other so as to close off the front access opening. This overall geometric relationship, coupled with the desire to minimize the thickness of the individual walls and provide an exterior appearance having desired aesthetics, has necessarily resulted in a casing or housing which typically has less strength and rigidity than desired. Because of this, such lateral files have typically exhibited significant “racking” when subjected to load. That is, the housing tends to angularly deflect sidewardly relative to its base, whereby the side walls lose their perpendicular relationship with respect to the base, and the overall operation and appearance of the file is impaired. This racking becomes particularly significant when the lateral file is relatively high since the geometry of the file, for example its lateral or length dimension being typically two to three times its depth dimension, when coupled with an overall height dimension which is large when the file is four or five drawers high, results in the top of the file being laterally displaced a significant distance relative to the base.
Drawer-type storage cabinets of the type described above also typically utilize a construction wherein the cabinet side walls have opposed pairs of front and rear uprights secured thereto and provided with vertical rows of openings or slots for mounting the telescopic slides which are used for individually slidably supporting the drawers for opening and closing movement. A conventional practice for constructing the cabinet involves the use of four different uprights, namely right and left front uprights which are mirror images of one another and have rows of openings therein, as well as right and left rear uprights which are also mirror images of one another and have rows of elongate slots formed therein. These four uprights are all uniquely different from one another and are individually secured, typically welded, to the inner surface of the cabinet sidewall. The use of four different uprights significantly increases manufacturing complexity by increasing the number of different parts required, and the overall handling and sequencing thereof during assembly.
In an effort to somewhat simplify the construction, some conventional cabinets have identical right and left rear uprights so that only three different parts are required. To accomplish this, however, each of the rear uprights is provided with two vertically extending rows of elongate slots associated therewith, only one of which is used depending upon whether the upright is mounted on the right side versus the left side of the cabinet. While this construction hence does somewhat reduce the number of different parts, nevertheless it increases the manufacturing complexity of the rear upright by requiring forming of two slot rows therein, only one of which is used when the upright is assembled to the cabinet. Current cabinet constructions, whether they use three different or four different uprights, hence involves a significant number of different parts which hence complicates the overall manufacturing process.
The known assembly processes for constructing conventional storage cabinets, particularly drawer-type lateral file cabinets, have also frequently utilized separate right and left upright sidewall members which are frequently mirror images due to their defined right and left characteristics, and which typically have separate but distinct front and rear uprights secured to the sidewall member, such as by welding. Such constructions hence involve manufacturing processes which are undesirably complex due to the number of distinct parts which make up the cabinet structure, and the associated assembly steps required to fixedly join the parts. The assembly processes associated with the known cabinet structures have hence involved a greater degree of complexity and cost than desired.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved housing or cabinet structure for a storage unit, particularly a drawer-type lateral file, which overcomes or at least significantly improves the strength of the housing so as to significantly minimize the racking problem conventionally encountered when the file is under load.
More specifically, this invention relates to an improved lateral file having an improved housing or cabinet structure which provides improved rigidity so as to minimize lateral displacement or racking of the housing structure under load, with the improved racking resistance being achieved principally through an improved base wall structure which is rigidly associated with the hollow boxlike housing. The bottom wall structure of the present invention is preferably defined as a closed but generally hollow box which extends across the bottom of the housing and has a thin vertical profile. The closed hollow box additionally has wall structure which defines closed tubelike channels extending lengthwise along at least opposite edges thereof, whereby the box provides significant strength with respect to vertical or downward compression loads imposed thereon, and in addition possesses strength and rigidity to more thoroughly rigidify the hollow boxlike housing so as to significantly minimize lateral racking thereof.
In the improved lateral file of the present invention, as aforesaid, the closed boxlike structure defining the bottom wall of the housing is defined solely by upper and lower boxlike members which are each open on one side. The open boxlike members are disposed in opposed relationship and nested one within the other, and rigidly joined together, to define a generally closed but hollow box which, when rigidly secured to lower edges of the side and back walls of the casing, provide improved resistance against lateral racking of the housing.
In the improved lateral file of this invention, as aforesaid, the opposed and nested upper and lower box members also have edge flanges extending around each of the members, which edge flanges cooperate with the opposite member to define, within the interior of the closed box, a closed tubelike channel structure which extends longitudinally along each of the edges of the box so as to provide the closed box with significantly increased strength and rigidity in both the lengthwise and widthwise dimensions thereof.
In the improved closed box structure defining the bottom wall of the housing, as aforesaid, the closed box structure is defined in its entirety by two members, namely the opposed upper and lower box members, which facilitates both economy and efficiency of manufacture and assembly, and in addition the two box members can be constructed of different thickness materials (for example different gauge sheet metal) so as to optimize strength versus cost and weight.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved housing or cabinet structure for a drawer-type file, particularly a lateral file, which provides improved efficiency of manufacture and construction due to the use of four identical uprights for defining the opposed pairs of front and rear uprights which support the telescopic drawer slides, whereby only a single upright member is required for manufacture and the same upright can be used as a front or rear upright on either the right or left sides of the cabinet. The upright utilizes and provides only a single row of openings extending vertically therealong for cooperating with the front or rear of either the right or left drawer slide, thereby decreasing the number of different parts required, and facilitating efficient manufacture and assembly of the cabinet.
More specifically, this invention relates to an improved lateral file having an improved housing or cabinet structure which has identical front and rear uprights fixed to the inner surfaces of each of the right and left side walls of the cabinet, with each upright having an identical single vertically-extending row of openings therethrough so that each upright is capable of engaging either a front or rear tab associated with an elongate housing of either the right or left telescopic drawer slide. The front and rear uprights, which are all preferably of channel-like cross section, are secured as by welding to the respective side wall so that the front uprights are disposed on opposite sides of the cabinet in opposed relationship adjacent the front opening, whereas the rear uprights are disposed in opposed relationship adjacent the rear side of the cabinet. The drawer slide housing has a first horizontally projecting tab which projects rearwardly adjacent the rearward end thereof for insertion into one of the openings associated with a rear upright, and has a front downwardly-projecting tab for projection through an identical opening associated with the front upright to stationarily and stably secure the telescopic slide to the uprights.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an improved process for manufacturing the housing or cabinet structure, such as for a drawer-type lateral file, which process includes providing a pair of identical upright one-piece sidewall structures each of which can be used to define either the right or left side of the housing, with each sidewall structure having a pair of substantially identical or mirror-image uprights associated therewith adjacent opposite vertical edges thereof so that either upright may function as either a front or a rear upright depending upon the orientation of the sidewall structure during assembly, and providing the uprights on each one-piece side-wall structure by a forming process such as roll forming or the like so that the uprights and the associated side wall define a one-piece integral and monolithic structure formed from sheet metal and more specifically sheet steel. The process reduces the number of different and individual parts which must be manufactured and inventoried, and simplifies the manufacturing process with respect to time, space and efficiency.
Other objects and purposes of the present invention will be apparent to persons familiar with constructions of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.
Certain terminology will be used in the following descriptions for convenience in reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The word “front” will refer to that side of the cabinet having an access opening which accommodates the drawer fronts. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the cabinet and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.